ALBUM REVIEW: Methyl Ethel – On Inhuman Spectacle

Methyl Ethel’s debut LP is full of variation. Songs like To Swim have so few lyrics you drift through the instrumentals forgetting there even are any; these are interposed between hooky, chillpop tunes like Rogues and Twilight Driving. Like the philosodudes they’re so keen to seem, they’ve incorporated non-instrumental sounds into their songs (see Unbalancing Acts’ birdsong). They never miss a chance to keep it interesting – why then, does it feel like they’ve failed?

Maybe it’s the pretension, with titles like Idée Fixe and Depth Perception (not to mention On Inhuman Spectacle). Maybe it’s the hipster-ish over-authenticity of the vinyl-esque crackles they’ve given the digital version. Or maybe it’s just that keenness to sound clever; maybe they’re simply trying too hard.